


There's no such thing

by Alpha_Mu



Series: A woman in love [2]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Not Actually Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-03 05:13:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16319798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alpha_Mu/pseuds/Alpha_Mu
Summary: Follow up to Too Late. Janeway allows herself a day to feel her feelings only to face an unexpected interruption.





	There's no such thing

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to follow up on Too Late ever since I wrote it. I hated to leave it like that. If I had more time and more sleep then it would undoubtedly be better but there it is!
> 
> My intention was to try and keep to around the same length as the first part and I wanted to continue to experiment with avoiding dialogue. This is what came out.

Admiral Kathryn Janeway sat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen of her San Francisco home watching the rain track irregular patterns down the glass doors leading to her veranda. 

On a clear day the view over the Bay was unsurpassable but today was anything but clear and part of her enjoyed the opportunity to allow the oppressive grey to seep in to her soul. She wasn't often a woman to give in to the melancholy that threatened constantly at the periphery of her consciousness but when she allowed it in she could sink to depths that could scare her if she thought about it too much. 

The rain beat a percussive cacophony onto the wooden deck beyond the glass and somehow it was almost meditative. Without conscious control over her mind she found her thoughts wandering to places that she had long tried to avoid. The droplets streaking across the window reminded her of the spider web of veins that erupt over the skin of a human during assimilation by the Borg. The Borg; one former Borg in particular, was a topic she desperately tried to keep from her mind. Today however, early on a dull Sunday with orders to take the weekend for herself she couldn't seem to find the strength to keep the thoughts away. 

That one former Borg had captivated her from the moment they had met and without realising it was happening she had allowed her heart to open up to the younger woman in a way that she couldn't remember doing since her very first love. Of course this time she had been completely ignorant to the feelings that she was harbouring until it was too late. The sight of the object of her affection walking away from her with her First Officer had almost broken her on the day that they had disembarked on to Earth. 

Seven of Nine. If she listened hard enough she could almost hear the name whispered to her by the beating of the rain. The woman had become like an addiction. She had risked her life, her ship and her crew for the sake of the blonde on more occasions than she cared to mention and she knew without a doubt that if it weren't for the support of her former mentor Admiral Paris and the fact that Starfleet desperately needed a poster girl to tempt new recruits she may well have been stripped of her rank and hung out to dry over some of her decisions where the young woman was concerned. 

With a glance to the long dormant coffee machine that sat on the kitchen surface she rose to refill her tea cup. The dark brew had become another addiction during her sojourn to the Delta Quadrant and she had resolved to go cold turkey on both. A woman true to her word, she had not touched the rich beverage since the day that Seven had left with Chakotay to live among the remaining members of his tribe. She longed to hear from the woman, to know at least that she was happy, but Chakotay's people shunned twenty fourth century technology and she knew that it would be difficult for them to communicate. Besides, deep down she knew that Chakotay was a good man who cared deeply for Seven and she tried to console herself that he would ensure that the woman who he intended as his bride had all that she could ever desire. 

Wrapping her slender fingers around the delicate china cup she allowed the heat to suffuse in to her hands and hoped that somehow it could reach in to thaw her heart. Tomorrow, she knew, would be just another day at the office, at a job she was growing bored of, in a building full of strangers. For now however she would allow herself the luxury of wallowing; allow herself to miss her people and her ship; and allow herself to ponder on the one person she knew she could never have. 

The rain was still hammering down when the sound of her door chime broke her from her rumination. For a moment she wondered if she had imagined it but when it rang a second time she knew that it was real. Still, she considered ignoring it, content for now to be alone with her thoughts and self pity. She had promised herself a day of allowing her heart to feel the things she tried to keep out and entertaining visitors was not part of the deal. However when the chime rang a third time followed swiftly by a security alert warning her that whoever was at the door was attempting to override her seal she knew she had no choice but to face the invader. 

Storming through the corridor towards the front door she felt her ire rising and adrenaline begin to course through her veins. Part of her knew that the sensible decision would be to call for a security team but she wasn't inclined towards sensible decisions in the mood that she was in. 

By the time she reached the door it was already open, framing a slender figure whose identity was concealed for the moment by a long mackintosh and wide brimmed hat. Water was coursing down the coat and dripping of the peak of the hat as if the person had trudged for hours in the rain. 

On seeing her fast approach the person removed the hat so that their identity was revealed and she couldn't help the sharp intake of breath at seeing the golden hair that was unleashed, tumbling out in waves to sit on narrow shoulders. 

For one blinding moment she thought that she had gone mad; that she had dreamt up the vision standing before her; but the voice of the other woman speaking her name, crisp and clear in her ears, confirmed that this was no hallucination. Seven of Nine was standing in her hallway: sopping wet but just as perfect as ever and, for the first time she could recall, addressing her by her given name and not her rank. 

She couldn't help herself but to glance over the taller woman's shoulders, waiting for the dark eyes of the man who had once told of his love for her to bore into her as they had done the day they left Voyager; the day she was sure that he had seen her affection for Seven for what it truly was. Those dark eyes weren't there to find her now though and Seven was quick to confirm what her senses had told her: the younger woman had arrived alone, a small holdall her only company. 

Such was the shock and confusion pounding around her brain at seeing the person she loved above all others she found herself at a near loss for words, hardly managing the most basic of pleasantries before she asked why the other woman was here, breaking in to her home. 

In answer Seven merely handed her a handwritten note with the briefest of explanations that Chakotay had given it to her that morning. At first she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing or why Seven would have shown her a declaration of love unending given to her by her betrothed. Slowly however the pieces began to fall into place as it dawned on her that the cursive was her own, or rather, she realised, that of her future self. 

She stared at the page until the words started to swim before her eyes and she saw the first of her tears land and streak down the paper. When she finally steeled herself to face the woman before her she saw not a look of anger or confusion as she had expected, but sea blue eyes gazing openly and lovingly back at her filled with their own tears ready to fall. 

Stepping in to the embrace that followed felt like coming home. When it comes to the truth of love, she finally understood: there is no such thing as ‘too late’.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to hear your thoughts. 
> 
> I've got several other ideas rumbling around in my head, including adding chapters to Where the Forest Still Reigns, something pre-endgame and something which is frankly just smut basically. ;)
> 
> I love this fandom and the people in it. So many talented authors that I feel a fraud posting. If you made it this far then thank you for reading. Your comments and Kudos make me smile so please don't be shy.


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